1,026 ton crane lift is heaviest in shipyard's history

NEWPORT NEWS – Newport News Shipbuilding crane operators hoisted a 1,026 metric ton unit and placed it onto the Gerald R. Ford this week, completing the largest lift for the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the heaviest in shipyard history.

It was the 435th lift out of nearly 500 scheduled for the ship, which is scheduled to launch in 2013 and to be delivered to the Navy in 2015.

The lift tested the shipyard's largest gantry crane, Big Blue, which was hoisting a few tons shy of its 1,050 metric ton capacity, which tops of all other gantries in the Western Hemisphere.

"The concept during design of the ship was to build larger units than were built on the Nimitz-class carriers, resulting in fewer crane lifts to the dry dock," said Rolf Bartschi, the shipyard's vice president of construction for the Ford. "This lift is a significant achievement for our shipbuilding team on this first-of-class ship and reflects the pride and capability of the entire team."

The shipyard says the Ford is more than 88 percent structurally complete.